Timeline
Key dates in the inquiry's progress, assembled from its recorded milestones and hearing phases.
Hearing-phase dates are taken from the published hearing days; some earlier milestone dates are approximate where the inquiry has not published an exact date.
Milestones & hearing phases
Milestone
Hearing phase
Reports & costs
Still to come
Procedural / preliminary hearing
1 sitting day
Opening statements commence
The Inquiry commenced its hearings on 10 September 2024 with opening statements; oral witness evidence began separately on 16 September.
Evidential hearings
62 sitting days
Further evidential hearing
The Inquiry held a further evidential hearing on 24 February 2025 for Dr Susan Gilby; this was after the 59 sitting days/133 witnesses stated for the Parts A/B/C hearing period ending 17 January.
Reported costs: £18.6m
Derived sum of three published FY costs to Mar 2026; not official cumulative/final
Government response to the Thirlwall Inquiry (oral statement, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care)
Oral statement to the House of Commons by the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, delivered 15 September 2026. Verbatim opening: 'Madam Deputy Speaker, with permission, I would like to make a statement on the report of the three-year public inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital, between 2015 and 2018, led by Lady Justice Thirlwall, published today.'
Final report published: The Report of the Public Inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester Hospital, 2015 to 2018